Miso Soba Noodle Salad Recipe with a zippy tahini-miso dressing

I love noodle salads — they’re salads, but not a salad. Light and summery, but filling enough. This miso soba noodle salad is my current favourite!

The recipe is from one of my favourite Spring 2019 cookbooks, Love & Lemons Every Day — the second cookbook by food blogger Jeanine Donofrio. I’ve had this cookbook on my shelf for a while but hadn’t had the chance to cook from it yet, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. What I love about Jeanine’s cookbooks are that they are packed with vegetarian recipes that are not super fussy. More than that, the books are dotted with little tips and pieces of information that makes cooking so much easier — how to perfectly boil soba noodles, prep times for grains and legumes, and other stuff like that.

This easy soba noodle salad bowl is a classic example of the wonderful recipes Jeanine writes. It’s packed full of greens, colourful veggies, and nutty soba noodles; all tossed together in a zippy miso-tahini dressing. It’s ideal for a summer lunch or dinner; and works well even when made in advance (just pack it in a jar and bring it with you on the go!). I went with the recipe suggestions on which veggies to use, but topped my bowls with coriander leaves and black sesame seeds. You can totally use other vegetables if you prefer, and add in some baked tofu for additional protein.

A few notes:

First thing, let’s talk about soba.

Soba noodles are nutty, delicious, and great for Asian style dishes, but they’re also way healthier than regular noodles. Soba is made from buckwheat, which means it’s low GI (it won’t spike your blood sugar like other starchy pastas and noodles); it contains a ton of fibre, and is also safe to eat for people with gluten intolerances. However, if you are gluten-free, go for 100% buckwheat noodles — it’s important to read the label as many varieties do contain wheat. And guess what? Soba noodles are ideal for the summer because they taste SO GOOD even when cold!

The best way to cook the noodles is outlined in this recipe — boil them in a pot of water until they’re cooked. Then, immediately drain and rinse them in cold water, and toss with a tiny bit of sesame oil. This helps to keep the noodles separate so that they don’t clump together while you prepare the rest of your recipe.

When it comes to kale, Jeanine suggests that raw kale be massaged with some olive oil before eating to make it less bitter. Alternatively, you can chop it really fine (like in this recipe) and it does the same job. If your stomach is sensitive to raw kale, give it a quick sauté in olive oil before using. Kale works wonderfully in this recipe because it’s robust and won’t become limp with the heavy dressing, however you can also use baby spinach instead.

As for the tahini miso dressing, it’s so delicious you’ll want to make a jar of it and use it on everything — and you can! It works as a salad dressing, a sauce to cook veggies or noodles in, or for baked tofu. You can even thin it out slightly and use it as a dipping sauce for dumplings or rice paper rolls. I’ve recently started using miso, a fermented soybean paste which I know sounds funky, but packs a serious amount of flavour. It tastes salty and tangy and sweet, with intense umami notes.

Miso is not typically meant to be eaten straight from the jar, but makes a great addition to a lot of dishes that require depth of flavour. There are different varieties of miso paste available depending on how long they’ve been fermented for, but if you’re using it for the first time I’d recommend go for one of the milder ones.

Make this recipe (and make some extra for lunch the next day), because not only does it look beautiful with all the rainbow colours, but it’s also delicious, quick to prepare, and perfect for summer meals!

Miso Soba Noodle Salad

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. soba noodles (use 100% buckwheat noodles if gluten free)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced
3 cups packed kale, stems removed and chopped
1 cup spiralized cucumber
¾ cup carrot ribbons
2-3 stalks of green onions

For the dressing:

¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup tahini
Water, to thin out (about ¼ cup)
2 tablespoons miso paste
1-2 tablespoons soy (use tamari if gluten free)
1 tsp sesame oil
½ teaspoon minced ginger

To serve: coriander, black sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the soba noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse immediately under cold water, then toss in 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other
Make the dressing by blending or whisking together all the ingredients. Taste and adjust flavours.
If serving immediately, assemble the salad in bowls and spoon the dressing on top. Garnish with coriander leaves and sesame seeds. For a make-ahead work lunch, pack the salad in a glass jar — first pour in the dressing, then layer with the veggies, noodles, and toppings. When ready to eat, pour it out into a bowl so that the dressing drizzles on top of the salad.